President Donald Trump faced a bevy of questions on Friday about claims that he referred to Haiti and African nations as ‘s***holes’ in an immigration meeting at the White House.
Trump’s alleged remarks, which he has disputed, were thrown back in his face at an ill-timed Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in the Roosevelt Room.
‘Mr. President, will you give an apology for the statement yesterday?’ asked American Urban Radio Network correspondent and CNN contributor April Ryan. ‘Mr. President, are you a racist?’ she asked in a second attempt.
The president ducked Ryan’s questions as he said goodbye to his guests and rushed out of the room.
President Donald Trump faced a bevy of questions on Friday about claims that he referred to Haiti and African nations as ‘s***holes’ in an immigration meeting at the White House
Trump’s alleged remarks, which he has disputed, were thrown back in his face at an ill-timed Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in the Roosevelt Room
‘Mr. President, will you give an apology for the statement yesterday?’ asked American Urban Radio Network correspondent and CNN contributor April Ryan. ‘Mr. President, are you a racist?’ she asked in a second attempt as he finished with a proclomation
MLK Day will not be federally observed until Monday, but Trump is skipping town this afternoon for Palm Beach. He’s due to return to Washington at some point on Monday.
At the White House this morning, Trump signed a proclamation honoring the civil rights leader and delivered a short speech celebrating King’s accomplishments.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, the only African-American in Trump’s Cabinet, also spoke at the White House event. So did Pastor Issac Newton Farris, a nephew of the late Dr. King.
Trump said his remarks that King ‘courageously’ stood up civil rights.
‘Through his bravery and sacrifice, Dr. King opened the eyes and lifted the conscience of our nation,’ he said. ‘He steered the hearts of our people to recognize the dignity written in every human soul.’
And in a moment of irony given his alleged remarks, Trump said, ‘Today we celebrate, Dr. King for standing up for self-evident truth Americans hold so dear, that no matter what the color of our skin or the place of our birth, we are all created equal by god.’
While King is ‘no longer with us,’ Trump said, ‘his words and vision only go stronger.’
‘Congratulations to him and to everybody,’ Trump said, signing an MLK Day proclamation.
The president did not respond to Ryan’s questions. Pastor Darrell Scott, a participant in the event, shouted, ‘no,’ at her instead
As soon as the president finished, Ryan and other reporters hit him with a string of questions about the remarks he’s said to have made yesterday about ‘s***hole’ nations.
Ryan asked Trump to respond to the ‘serious’ questions about the statement.
The president did not respond. Pastor Darrell Scott, a participant in the event, shouted, ‘no,’ at her instead.
‘I’m talking to the president, not you sir,’ she could be heard saying to him audibly as cameras continue to roll.
A White House feed of the event swiftly turned off as the president exited.
The dispute between the longtime White House correspondent and the Ohio pastor continued, though, after the internal feed ended.